By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Supervisor – Illinois/Wisconsin

CRESTWOOD, IL – The nightcap at Standard Bank Stadium featured the top two reaming Power 25 teams in the state, Neuqua Valley vs. St. Laurence, for a Super-Sectional title and a trip to Silver Cross Field in Joliet. Both fan bases packed Standard Bank Stadium to standing room only on the concourse, making for a loud night of championship caliber baseball.

Neuqua’s junior left-hander James Kulak took the mound for the Wildcats and has been dominant of late this season, but the middle of the St. Laurence lineup got to Kulak in the first inning. With two outs Matt McCormick had a seeing eye single up the middle then moved into scoring position on a passed ball, giving Jimmy Burnette the chance to drive him in with a clean single to right on a Kulak breaking ball, making it 1-0 St. Laurence.

Neuqua answered in the second. After squandering a leadoff double by James Gargano in the first inning this time the Wildcats cashed in on Evan Ranneklev’s lead off double in the second. Eric Nelson singled home Ranneklev and Neuqua Valley’s only run of the ballgame.

After St. Laurence’s first inning run, it looked like the Vikings wouldn’t touch Kulak again before reaching his pitch limit. Kulak sat down 12 consecutive batters until the sixth when the middle of the Viking lineup delivered again. Tied at 1-1, the first two batters of the inning reached for St. Laurence, putting Kulak in a bind, and setting the table for Matt McCormick. On an 0-1 count McCormick went with a fastball away and one-hopped the left-center fence for a two-RBI triple and a 3-1 Viking lead. With the infield then drawn in, Jimmy Burnette followed with a hard hit groundball that got passed the shortstop, scoring McCormick.

Gage Olszak finished off the sixth inning rally with a two-out RBI double down the right field line for the Vikings fifth run of the game.

St. Laurence RHP Angel Sandoval finished what he started and out-dueled Kulak facing the minimum over the last 17 outs, thanks to a pair of double play balls in the fourth and sixth innings that stuffed any chance of a Wildcat rally and securing the 5-1 victory. Sandoval allowed just one run on four hits and walking none over seven innings.

The Super-Sectional win puts St. Laurence in the 4A final four, pitting a matchup on Friday, June 9 at 5pm against Edwardsville in the state semifinal game at Silver Cross Field in Joliet, IL.

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